Hey everyone! this is my first post in this forum. I have been gleaning for some time and i finally decided to join. Any way on to the question.

I have been playing with an old school DW 5000 for almost 9 years now. I'm talking the ones with the single chain drive. its finally started to fall apart, and every time i play it, it feels like a medieval catapult. My doubles are near impossible now, and no amount of adjusting has helped it. its on its death bed. :(

So i'm looking for a pedal in the 150-200 US $ range. Chain drive, and good for heel up style. Power and speed are good, but not if deteres the magical feel between me and bass drum. I will try out several models at a store, but the test of time is the best judge of gear.

So whats your FAVORITE (not best) single pedal you've owned? please skip the whole "nothing is best" routine, as I am well aware that no piece of gear reigns supreme, and its all subjective.

Also, whats is your guys' opinion on buying used pedals?

(woops, not my first post, but it has been awhile. sorry!)

Last edited by sbrennt; 05-25-2013 at 11:21 AM.
Reason: misinformation

You could also simply edit your post - in case you detected some misinformation, which just happens to most of us every now and then - and nobody would notice. No real need to correct oneself at the bottom of the post to make the mistake bluntly clear, haha. Anyway, we're discussing minor things... Back on topic.

My favorite pedal is the DW 5000, with the double chain and the footplate. It's been almost 10 years now and it's not showing any signs of slowing down. Like me lol. I never even have to think about it.

__________________
The best way to do art, is to dispense with good and bad...and just get on with it.

Yamaha 7210 Strap Drive all the way.
I'm nearly a religious follower of this pedal. It's affordable, and feels amazing. I've been calling it the poor man's "Pefect Balance" pedal, because the feel and response are really close. The only issue I have with this pedal is the two prongs vs. a base plate.

My favorite pedal is the DW 5000, with the double chain and the footplate. It's been almost 10 years now and it's not showing any signs of slowing down. Like me lol. I never even have to think about it.

same uncle Lar

12 years on the same pedal right now

20 + tours and countless hours of rehearsal and studio time and she works like she just came out of the box

That footpedal has been directly responsible for a decade's worth of countless people's dancing good times. It's pretty cool to think about it that way. No drumstick or head can make that claim, but my 5000 can.

__________________
The best way to do art, is to dispense with good and bad...and just get on with it.

I've bought a lot of used pedals, but prefer to buy new. Some used pedals have issues that are obvious, like this:

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbrennt

.... its finally started to fall apart, and every time i play it, it feels like a medieval catapult. My doubles are near impossible now, and no amount of adjusting has helped it. its on its death bed. :(....

LOL

and some seem fine until you really give them a totally thorough going over.
Buy new - if possible.

I really can't pinpoint a favorite. I love my Trick Pro 1 V pedal, really like my strap drives by Yamaha and Tama and my DW 5000 fits in there somewhere too. I have no passion at all for my Pearl P2000 when compared to the others.

I have to admit, I've been really playing my Tama Iron Cobra Juniors alot. Moreso than any other pedal. It probably has something to do with the plate, because the pedal isn't anything special. I might even say it's just another Camco copy - but I've yet to wear anything out on mine - both are still going strong (meaning one is at home with the 'home hardware', and the other one lives in the case with the 'gig hardware' that gets taken out for jobs). I do like those new Yamaha pedals and have the one with the chain and optional strap drive, those are great. However, they feel very light and responsive and aren't "slammy" enough for me.

I have no passion at all for my Pearl P2000 when compared to the others.

Dennis

and thats where I run into a problem. The eliminators seem cool because of the features per dollar, but when I look at it I feel like it has no soul. Call me a freak, but for some reason, I like my gear to have some character, some personality.

The Tama stuff seems to be a little more alive to me, and the DW5000 has that same old red plate we have come to know and love. To me, the eliminator just seems, i don't know, boring. its too normal. I get that "just another pedal" feeling.

I agree with the posts about the eliminators... I use them and they just feel meh. I struggle to get off a quick run on them, doubles are out of the question, I've played cheap pedals at school that have been faster than the eliminators and I'm really starting to consider selling them on and buying something else

Old school pearl lefty. Why? Because its lefty! Why else? Because after 6 years and being in a fire and hosed with water, it still make a thump. About 1 month ago I had to replace the driveshaft. I think the housefire and fact that its NEVER been oiled, may have made it wear out in less than 10 years. Another reason... the footplate is smooth and recognizes my skate shoes. Another reason: dual chain and dual spring, even on the remote pedal. Most don't bother anymore. Lastly, I can adjust the foot pad really high and it runs smooth.

Attached Images

Last edited by PlanetShane; 05-26-2013 at 11:42 PM.
Reason: image too large

Old school pearl lefty. Why? Because its lefty! Why else? Because after 6 years and being in a fire and hosed with water, it still make a thump. About 1 month ago I had to replace the driveshaft. I think the housefire and fact that its NEVER been oiled, may have made it wear out in less than 10 years. Another reason... the footplate is smooth and recognizes my skate shoes. Another reason: dual chain and dual spring, even on the remote pedal. Most don't bother anymore. Lastly, I can adjust the foot pad really high and it runs smooth.

Don't mean to hijack the thread here but I've always wondered about this, what difference does 2 springs on the slave pedal actually make?

Don't mean to hijack the thread here but I've always wondered about this, what difference does 2 springs on the slave pedal actually make?

I mis-typed that. It has only one spring on the slave, where most come with none. The 3 spring setup allows for more range of tension. I can adjust the slave to balance, then adjust the master. The driveshaft length and angle make this adjustment nice. Also, It allows you to use the slave pedal solo in a or use it for parts in a jam! Sorry that didn't answer you question, as I don't know why 2 springs on a slave would help. . .

I mis-typed that. It has only one spring on the slave, where most come with none. The 3 spring setup allows for more range of tension. I can adjust the slave to balance, then adjust the master. The driveshaft length and angle make this adjustment nice. Also, It allows you to use the slave pedal solo in a or use it for parts in a jam! Sorry that didn't answer you question, as I don't know why 2 springs on a slave would help. . .

Nah that's what I meant by 2 springs on the slave, thanks for clearing that up :)

I just discovered the screws holding the hinge to the heel plate on my old DW5000 have eaten away at the screw holes, and the teeth on half the cam have deteriorated to little nubs . the chain keeps falling of the cam, and the foot board now pivots side to side. The heart rate monitor for this thing is getting pretty dang close to flat. Its been good to me for 9 years. and I'm the second owner! who knows how old it really is...

So i narrowed its replacement down to three:
1) DW5000 (stick with the old faithful brand, get another decade+ of use)
2) Tama Iron Cobra (flexi, power, or rolling glide...I'll just have to try em)
3) Tama Speed Cobra (same price as IC, and its supposed to be faster. Who knows, maybe I'll like the long board)

You guys helped knock the eliminator off my list. Now I just have to try em out at GC.

I just discovered the screws holding the hinge to the heel plate on my old DW5000 have eaten away at the screw holes, and the teeth on half the cam have deteriorated to little nubs . the chain keeps falling of the cam, and the foot board now pivots side to side. The heart rate monitor for this thing is getting pretty dang close to flat. Its been good to me for 9 years. and I'm the second owner! who knows how old it really is...

So i narrowed its replacement down to three:
1) DW5000 (stick with the old faithful brand, get another decade+ of use)
2) Tama Iron Cobra (flexi, power, or rolling glide...I'll just have to try em)
3) Tama Speed Cobra (same price as IC, and its supposed to be faster. Who knows, maybe I'll like the long board)

You guys helped knock the eliminator off my list. Now I just have to try em out at GC.

Funny story. Today, i decided to tinker with my DW 5000 and see if I could resurrect it. I took it apart, looked for the parts that were causing all the problems, and it looked like all it needed was a new hinge, and a new cam. I then remembered I had another old DW5000 in my attic (I know, weird). It was one that had those little metal poles kind of like the modern 6000. I broke the pole assembly after a few months, and so i just just chucked it in the attic. I tracked it down today, salvaged the hinge and the cam, put it on my ole faithful 5000 and TADA! good as new! just saved myself nearly $200 today haha. hopefully i can get a few more years out of this thing now.

and if that was a let down, and you were waiting for me to choose the pedal of my dreams, i probably would have bought the Iron cobra power glide haha....

Funny story. Today, i decided to tinker with my DW 5000 and see if I could resurrect it. I took it apart, looked for the parts that were causing all the problems, and it looked like all it needed was a new hinge, and a new cam. I then remembered I had another old DW5000 in my attic (I know, weird). It was one that had those little metal poles kind of like the modern 6000. I broke the pole assembly after a few months, and so i just just chucked it in the attic. I tracked it down today, salvaged the hinge and the cam, put it on my ole faithful 5000 and TADA! good as new! just saved myself nearly $200 today haha. hopefully i can get a few more years out of this thing now.

and if that was a let down, and you were waiting for me to choose the pedal of my dreams, i probably would have bought the Iron cobra power glide haha....

When the hinge goes (in the process of going) the side to side movement of the foot board causes the chain to wear away the teeth on the sprocket. This happens with all toothed cam chain drive pedals- CAMCO, DW etc.

DW did redesign their heel plate hinge in response and TAMA proceeded with the evolution of the CAMCO-IRON COBRA which follows the same dimensions of the CAMCO with beffier parts.

Other manufactures just eliminated the bottom teeth on the cam, or got rid of the teeth completely in favor of a grooved cam.

My favorite pedal is the DW 5000, with the double chain and the footplate. It's been almost 10 years now and it's not showing any signs of slowing down. Like me lol. I never even have to think about it.

I got me a used DW5000 some months ago. A couple of days ago I realised that after I'd set it up I haven't touched it once to make adjustments.

The best stuff is the stuff that is so reliable that you don't even notice it's there.

i was in a similar situation a couple of years ago. my old school dw 5000 single chain pedal was wore out with no life left in it. I replaced it with a new dw 5000 ad3 double chain pedal & never looked back. It just plays smooth & sweet kinda like my wife...lol